This disclosure generally relates to an edge stiffened sheet material suitable for use as storm panels.
In areas prone to high winds, e.g., hurricanes, it is common practice to cover any exposed building openings with storm panels. The storm panels are configured to provide wind and impact protection during adverse weather conditions. Desirably, the storm panels provide light transmission and even more desirably, the storm panel as are formed of a sheet material that is optically transparent so as to permit the end user to visually observe the external environment as well as to provide light into the interior in the event of a power outage
Corrugated sheet materials are often utilized for storm panels to provide protection during adverse weather conditions. Typically, the corrugated storm panel is mounted over and/or integrated with the opening to be protected. The corrugated storm panels provide protection from wind and impact loads that may be present during the adverse weather conditions.
Configuring a corrugated sheet material as a storm panel to provide sufficient protection is difficult because design parameters for wind and impact loads are generally considered to conflict with one another. Suitable wind load performance generally requires maximum panel stiffness where as improvements with regard to impact loads generally require the storm panel to be configured to provide better energy absorption, i.e., have a less stiff structure. Prior art storm panels have attempted to optimize these parameters but are generally deficient in one or both parameters.
Prior art FIG. 1 illustrates a typical storm panel, generally designated by reference numeral 10. The prior art storm panel 10 is formed of a vertically corrugated polymeric sheet 12, which in most instances provides some degree of light transmittance. The sheet 12 is approximately in the shape of a vertically elongated rectangle with vertically extending corrugations 14. The corrugations are generally oriented at a constant pitch, each corrugation 14 being sinusoidal like in shape of a defined length (L) and height (H). The storm panel includes a series of apertures 16, i.e., through holes, at each end for mounting to an opening perimeter. The apertures 16 are generally formed in the trough portions of the corrugations, i.e., the portion of the sheet that contacts the outer perimeter surface of the opening. A threaded screw, bolt or other like fastening member is used to secure the storm panel to the perimeter surface of the opening.
Alternatively, as shown in prior art FIG. 2, the storm panel assembly 20 includes a channel support member 22, e.g., an h-header, which is employed at one of the ends 24, 26, which is commonly formed of lightweight material such as aluminum. The other end (e.g., end 26 in FIG. 2) includes the apertures 16 as discussed above. To install the corrugated storm panel 20, the channel support member 22 is first secured to a surface of the opening perimeter, typically the top surface. One end 24 (without the apertures) of the storm panel is inserted into the channel support member 22. The channel support member typically has a U-shaped channel dimensioned to accommodate the width dimension (i.e., thickness) provided by the corrugations of the storm panel. Once inserted, the other end 26 is secured to the opening perimeter using the apertures 16.
Although the prior art storm panels are suitable for the intended purpose, there remains a need in the art for storm panels that improve upon the performance characteristics of both wind load performance and impact load.